Free // BTS AU //

Chapter Twenty Four

They followed Seokjin to where the boys were trying to staunch the blood flow from Taehyung who was slumped against a tree breathing heavily. Hye stopped dead in her tracks, Jimin and Taehyung overtaking her. Now the adrenaline in her body had worn off, her muscles were screaming. "You're just going to stare at me whilst I'm potentially dying? Thanks." Taehyung nearly snarled before he coughed up blood. 

Hye couldn't help but stand there and watch, she barely knew how to fend for herself, after living the sheltered life of a Princess, she didn't know how to heal someone. "Y-Yoongi can't you do something?" Her voice came out as a quiet whisper. 

"I-"

"As Princess, I demand you do something to help him!" Her voice raised to a sharp tone, her voice commanding. The boys went silent as they stared at her. No noises apart from the breeze flowing through the trees and her breathing could be heard as they stared at her in shock. 

"I'm sorry..." Yoongi whispered. "I can't." 

"Hoseok... Can you?" The royal tone left her, she sounded weak in comparison to mere seconds ago. "Please..."

"I'm Fae, not Witch. Witches heal, we..." he shrugged.  "I'm sorry." The wind rustled through the leaves a little bit more and she sniffled. Suddenly aware of the tear tracks running down her cheeks. She raised her hand and wiped them with the back of it. 

"Hye..." Taehyung whispered, his skin so much paler than it was mere seconds ago. The boys all were fighting their own tears at this point. Jungkook desperately holding his own shirt to the wound that pierced his side. "Come here."

Hye forced her legs to move. Ignoring the glances that the six boys crowded around her as she knelt by his feet. Her hand rested on the hilt of the sword as she looked up at the man, blood slowly dripping from the corner of his lips. "Yes, Taehyung?" She forced her voice to sound steady.

"Your eyes are puffy." He teased softly, she glared at him slightly. "You look like... a panda!" He forced a chuckle before he coughed again. Hye flinched when the warm blood hit her leg like a piece of summer rain. 

"You're going to do this whilst you're dying?" She glared.

"If I laugh as I die, I died of laughter-"

"You're not going to die. Just shut up!" Hye snapped, all the boys turned to her and Taehyung's eyes widened. "You won't die! You're not allowed."

"You can't 'not allow' me to die." Taehyung smiled softly, and despite the smile, Hye could see the pain he was in. 

"I can!" Hye went to reach out for his hand, but remembered the attitude he had towards her not that long ago and she retracted her hand back towards her body instead of it letting hold his hand how she wanted it to. "You're not allowed to die okay? None of you are."

"Hye..." Taehyung whispered, his fingers gently brushing against her knee, unable to sit closer to her. He tried to, gods knew he wanted to sit closer, to hold her hand. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend these final moments with his brothers. He was just aware he hadn't apologized for being cold towards her, and he refused to die before he had a chance to. Even if his apology formed of a handhold, a bit of affection before his last breath was to be stolen by death. 

He felt his heart shatter when his body wouldn't move how he wanted it to. Taehyung's entire body burned as if it was on fire. He was losing sensation in his extremities at this point. He needed to do something. He wanted to do something. He didn't want to die like this. His heart even hurt watching the girl try her hardest to not cry in front of him, to act strong like she was likely brought up to be in the castle. 

"Hye..." He whispered and tried again, this time his arm didn't even raise and he grimaced.

"Where is the nearest village?" Namjoon asked quietly.

"Four miles north." Jungkook responded.

"Will he make it four miles?" Seokjin asked. Yoongi shook his head. 

"If we move him one inch, the arrow head inside of him? It's likely to pierce something major and kill him instantly." Yoongi whispered softly. "Unfortunately there's nothing we can do. I'm sorry Taehyung."

Taehyung found himself unable to do anything but watch the six boys and the Princess in front of him. A couple of months ago he would never have thought a princess would be crying over him. He would've laughed if he had the energy.

Black spots began to fill his vision. "Rest easy-" Jimin began.

Hoseok watched the two intently before his eyes widened. "Guys close your eyes!" He yelled out and covered Taehyung's eyes. Hye didn't know what was happening when she felt the electricity buzz around her, she didn't know what was happening when she flew back a few meters into a large oak tree trunk. The wind knocked out of her. 

"Hye!" Taehyung cried out. Hye coughed sharply, the tree had splintered around her and she was pretty sure there was some blood dripping down her forehead.

"What-" Jimin was the first to blink out of whatever happened. "Hye!" He went to rush over and looked down at his hands which were holding Jungkook's tunic to Taehyung's wound with Jungkook's hands over his. He looked and saw the once blood-soaked tunic, back to the off white colour it was beforehand. 

"Well well well, I was not expecting this." Hoseok smirked. "Taehyung, how you feeling buddy?"

"Sore, a little bit tired." He paused. "But not in pain."

Hye's vision became blurry as she looked at the seven boys at the other tree. "Owch..." She managed to whisper, her body hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes.